Agricultural Research Service and University of Georgia scientists have identified genetic markers (like a bookmark)--pieces of DNA that help to locate a specific gene--for identifying asexual-specific (apospory-specific) genes in the Pennisetum plant genus.
Reproduction in plants is ordinarily classified as sexual or asexual. Sexual plant reproduction requires both male and female plant spores. Asexual traits enable a female plant to produce seedling offspring that are identical to itself without requiring the egg to be fertilized. The seedling plants are an exact copy of the mother. This technology will
allow plant breeders to obtain quality seeds from the same plant year after year. These markers will be useful for conventional and transgenic plant breeding.